Since July of 2005, our Kids Cafe's have served more than 18,000 meals and over 6,000 snacks .  This number is up more than 9,000 meals from last year. 

Kids Cafe Mission Statement:

              To provide meals to children in an environment that is safe, accessible, and convenient.  

Kids Cafe Goals:

              -To feed children at risk of hunger

              -To provide nutrition education to children

              -To educate the community about the perils of childhood hunger

What is Kids Cafe:

Kids cafe began in Savannah, Georgia after a police officer caught two young children stealing food from a housing projects community center.   There are more than 1,600 Kids Cafe sites serving over 12 million meals each year to children in 42 states and Washington D.C.  Kids Cafe is a program of America 's Second Harvest, The Nation's Food Bank Network, and is now the largest charitable meal service of its kind.  

Locally, Kids Cafe welcomes any child who is in need of a nutritious meal. Kids Cafe participants can join in all activities or just come for the meal.    If you know of a family or child that can benefit from attending the Kids Cafe, please share this information with them and encourage them to stop by any of our sites.   There are no fees to participate.  

Site Locations:

Locally our Kids Cafe has 9 sites in Black Hawk County .

Boys and Girls Club since 2000

515 Lime Street

Waterloo, Iowa 50703

School year : Mon – Fri 5 – 7pm Dinner

Summer : Mon – Fri 3 – 4pm Snack

Payne Memorial AME Church since 2001

1044 Mobile Street

Waterloo, Iowa 50702

School year : Mon doors open at 2:30pm Dinner at 4:30pm

                      Wed doors open at 1pm Activity at 3pm Dinner at 4pm

Summer : Mon – Fri doors open at 10am Lunch at noon

The Salvation Army since 2005

207 Logan Ave (Family Service Entrance)

Waterloo, Iowa

School year : Mon – Fri doors open at 3pm Dinner at 5:30pm

Summer : Mon – Fri doors open at 10am Snack at 3pm

Hoover Middle School/Echoes since 2006

630 Hillcrest Rd

Waterloo, Iowa

School year: Mon – Wed Snack & Thur Dinner

Logan Middle School/Echoes since 2007

1515 Logan Ave

Waterloo, Iowa

School year: Thur Dinner

EPI/Deery Center since 2007

3675 University Ave       

Waterloo, Iowa

Year round: Mon-Wed 3pm Snack

Mon-Wed 5:30pm Dinner

Lincoln Elementary School*

302 Cedar Bend St

Waterloo, Iowa

Summer : Mon, Tues, Thurs 5pm Dinner

Cunningham Elementary School*

1224 Mobile Street

Waterloo, Iowa

Summer : Mon, Tues, Thurs 5:30pm Dinner

Irving Elementary School*

1115 West 5 th StreetWaterloo, Iowa

Summer : Mon, Tues, Thurs 5pm Dinner

 *Summer sites only

*Please click here for "Warning signs that a child is suffering from Hunger"

One of our goals of Kids Cafe is to provide nutrition education to children.  Every month we provide a minimum of one hour of nutrition education at each Kids Cafe site.  We do this through a partnership with Iowa Department of Public Health:  Pick a better snack™ & ACT.  Iowa nutrition networks solid marketing campaign Pick a better snack™ encourages fruit and vegetable choices for snacks.  The “& ACT” represents the importance of daily physical activity.  For more information please

visit the Iowa Department of Public Health website at www.idph.state.ia.us/pickabettersnack

Recommended Reading List

Pre-K through 2nd Grade

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thorton Burgess

Peter Rabbit and his friends learn that they have underestimated Old Mr. Toad.

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Amelia Bedelia is the eager maid who takes everything literally.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

A mouse will follow many requests if you give him a cookie.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Lots of animals squeeze into Niki's lost mitten until the bear has to sneeze.

The Door Bell Rang by Pat Hutchins

People keep ringing the doorbell to share some of Ma's cookies.

Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki

This book introduces different types of dinosaurs and shows how scientists find and then display them in museums.

3rd through 5th

The Best Bad Thing by Yoshiko Uchida

Rinko is forced to spend the last month of her summer vacation helping Mrs. Hata who was recently widowed.   Rinko first gets pleasant surprises but that's when the bad things start to happen.

Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Peter's two-year-old brother continues to create problems in his life.

The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron

Nina is able to solve a murder mystery with the help of a French journal from the 1800's.   The murder has been unsolved since Napoleon's time.

James and the Giant Peach by Ronald Dahl

A boy runs away from his evil aunts and goes on many adventures with giant bugs all while inside a giant peach.

Sounder by William Armstrong

A young black boy gets the courage to learn to read after his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family.

Frederick Douglas: The Black Lion by Patricia McKissack

This book gives the life story of Frederick Douglas who escaped from slavery to become a writer and leader in the anti-slavery movement.

6th through 8th

The Cuckoo Sister by Vivien Alcock

Kate has a new person in her affluent home that is either an older sister who was kidnapped as a baby or is an unwanted child from a poor mother.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Jonas lives in a very structured community.   The Receiver knows all the secrets to the community and tells them to Jonas.   They then plan to change the community together.

A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles

Katherine's mother lost her job and has been drinking for weeks, and now Katherine is left to take care of her three younger siblings.

Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse

Nyle, a teenage girl, already lost her mother and grandfather when an accident occurs at the Cookshire power plant.

One Bird by Kyoko Mori

After being left by her mother, Megumi tries to understand why her father has a mistress while trying to deal with abandonment.

The Contender by Robert Lipstye

Alfred has dropped out of high school and living with his aunt.   He begins to attend a gym regularly to fight off a bully.

9th through 12th

Skeleton Man by Jay Bennett

Uncle Ed commits suicide, after giving Ray $30,000.   After this, Ray starts getting mysterious death threats.

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

14-year-old La Vaughn is forced into a babysitting job to escape poverty and hopefully go to college.

Don't Think Twice by Ruth Pennebaker

17-year-old Anne gets pregnant and is sent away by her family.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Holden Caufield is kicked out of boarding school and is left wandering New York City feeling very alienated.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The reader follows the life of Offred, a handmaid, who shows the darkness behind the totalitarian society run by male fundamentalists.

The Plague by Albert Camus

At first one rat dies, then people start to die as well.   Officials then quarantine the entire town.

Kids Cafe Wish List

The following “wish list” contains the most requested items for Kids Cafe.

If you would like to donate or have additional questions or comments please contact us at the email address below.

- Educational Materials

- Board Games

- Books

- Scissors

- Glue Sticks

- Paper Plates

- Disposable silverware

- Napkins

- Pencil Sharpeners

- Construction and drawing paper

What can you do?  

There are always opportunities available for volunteers and internships.  At Kids Cafe we encourage others to become positive and consistent figures in the lives of youths.  Monetary donations, fundraiser and food drives are always welcome.  Or call to hear about our current needs and opportunities at (319) 235-0507 ext. 116 or e-mail at jknebel@secondharvest.org or toll free at 888-NEIFB4U (634-3248).